Album Review: Feel Again from Elena Maque

-

Album:  Feel Again
Artist:  Elena Maque
Website:  https://www.elenamaque.com

The confluence of soul and cool jazz is illustrated beautifully and meaningfully on vocalist-saxophonist Elena Maque's latest release Feel Again.  Diametrically different, the two styles of music have a true pathfinder in St. Petersburg, Russia born and Seattle, Washington based Maque whose tender vocal resonance can beguile a baby to sleep and equally brandish steamy vibrations that stir uplifting moods in listeners.

Her remake of "And I Love Her" by the Beatles emotes a hypnotic sensuality that brings out a feminine allure, wrapped in the smoky mist of Leonardo Amuedo's guitar and the soft rustle of Brad Dutz's percussion, adding a bossa nova texture to the melody. Amuedo's guitar solo ignites a poignant, fiery blaze whose sinewy flame is slowly doused in the closing of the tune.  The sensual swerves of Maque's saxophone cruising along her original track "Weightless" project a cool jazz glow, bolstered by the delicate flickers of Darin Clendenin's piano keys, as Michael Glynn's bass and D’Vonne Lewis's drumming deftly trolley lulling swells along the melodic progressions.  

The soulful lilt of Maque's vocals illuminates "Autumn Rain" with a surge of optimism as the lyrics lament, "I'm sorry darling, you are too late / when we had something... you say you're sorry, just didn't know / who writes the story of someone's soul / one day you love me, one day you don't."  The glistening sparks communicated by Scott Kinsey's piano keys compose a monologue that sonically expresses the sorrow and optimism spoken in the lyrics.  

The mood switches to a exuberant pitch along "Like A Song," powered by an uplifting Latin rhythm.  And unforgettable is her reimagining of Antonio Carlos Jobim's perennial hit “Girl From Ipanema,” laden in warm and breezy passages from guitarist Amuedo and supplemented by the pulsating beats of Gary Novak's drums and Hadrien Feraud's bass.  Sung in Portuguese and English, Maque’s timbres infuse the track with a passionate luster.

Produced by her keyboardist Scott Kinsey, Maque's offering is gilded in her refined, soulful vocals and supplemented by cozy, cool jazz atmospherics.  A university-trained musician, she has spent years honing her craft and enchanting audiences throughout Russia, Europe, and the United States.  She succeeds again in enchanting audiences with Feel Again.

Musicians:
Elena Maque - saxophones, vocal, and executive producer
Scott Kinsey - piano, Rhodes, music producer
Hadrien Feraud - bass,
Gary Novak - drums
Leonardo Amuedo - guitar
Brad Dutz - percussion

Additional Musicians:
Katisse: flute ("Like A Song")
Alexey Nikolaev: tenor sax ("Hey Friend")
Logan Kane: bass ("Lover Man")
Darin Clendenin: piano ("Weightless")
D’Vonne Lewis: drums ("Weightless")
Michael Glynn: bass ("Weightless")
Darrius Willrich: back vocal ("Autumn Rain")
Dan Marcus: trombone ("Like A Song")

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: This Could Be The Start from Linda Purl

-
Image
Album: This Could Be The Start Artist:  Linda Purl Label: Reaching Records Website:  https://www.lindapurl.com Vocalist Linda Purl and her music director Tedd Firth come together for their fourth album, This Could Be the Start .  The collection contains Purl's reimagination of a handful of jazz standards, tailored to her vocal specifications.  Supported by an intimate cadre of musicians that include bassist David Finck, drummer Ray Marchica and reed player Nelson Rangell, Purl finesses a selection of Great American Songbook jewels with a contemporary sheen. The playful merengue rhythm driving "Blue Moon," a swinging romp written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, is trussed in Ray Marchica's percolating percussion and a profusion of jutting keys performed by Ted Firth.  The track steps out of the customary schematics of swing jazz bolstered by blues vocals and articulates a Latin-imbued tremor.  The bossa nova curves shaping one of Cole Porter's signature pieces,
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr
Read more